Construction Site Selection: How To Select A Site For Building Construction

Updated on October 22, 2013

Building Construction Site Seletion

Site Selection

Site selection of a building or structure should be done based upon some surveys and considerations of various aspects of the site like the development of the site, on the cost and the stability of the proposed structure.

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Surveys To Do For Site Selection

The following surveys should be done for site selection of a building or structure:

Preliminary survey

Contour survey

Plane table survey

Road survey

Factors To Be Considered For Construction Site Selection

The construction site selection is one of the most important steps of what a civil engineer do in his professional life. The following factors should be considered before site selection of a building or structure.

Natural resources: Site selection of a building or structure should be placed as far as possible fairly high above the normal flood level, requiring the minimum earth filling. For an extensive scheme, a topographical survey should be undertaken and a contour map prepared to find the amount of excavation or filing involved and facilities for drainage existing on the proposed structure site.

Stability of the soilat the site selected: Before site selection of a building or structure, the soil conditions and bearing capacity will invariably be determined for ascertaining the nature of the ground.

Behavior of the existing buildings or structures: The behavior of the existing buildings or structures neighborhood may guide in deciding the type and the depth of the foundation of the building to be constructed. This may help selecting the site if it is good for the building or structure.

Accessibility of the selected siteand its Bearing cost of the work: The site selection should be easily accessible and the length of the approach road from the nearest main road to the site should be as short as possible.

Drainage facilities in the site: Before site selection it should be examined. If natural facilities for easy drainage of rainwater exist in the area and if it is also be secured economically, then the site can be selected for the building or structure.

Site Selection Should Be Focused

The sustainability component of the site selection and development process should focus on the selection of sites that will:

Have the least negative impact on the environment

Have the fewest possible threats from the environment

Require the least extraction of natural resources for site preparation, construction, and operation

Incorporate infrastructure and community-managed systems for minimizing and managing solid and liquid waste

Offer the best quality of life for residents

These considerations are not absolutes. Every shelter site has some impact on the environment, and often compromise is needed to attain the best reasonable outcomes under competing demands and pressures to rebuild. Ideally, post-disaster reconstruction efforts, including site selection and development and on-site reconstruction, should be integrated into the natural characteristics of the location where the site development is to take place rather than attempt to dramatically alter the existing physical environment. Realistically, all site development impacts the existing environment. The challenge is to minimize this impact to the greatest degree possible.

Site selection of a building or structure plays an important role as the value of the structure will be determined by the location of the site. The surveys should to be done carefully. All of these will help you to select an appropriate site for your building or any kind of structure.

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